Better (Too Good #2) by S. Walden

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

I feel this book proved to be different in terms of the path it took when looking at the romance aspect of it. This part tells us what happens after Cadence makes the choice to turn her back on the life she once knew and try to start fresh. How it feels depending on someone new, and the responsibilities of being in an adult relationship. This book touches on the problems that arise in their lives while they struggle to maintain the balance between them, and repercussions of Cadence’s decisions.

The main difference in the second part of the series is that this one is told in third person as opposed to the first part. We get to see instances and interactions amongst other characters that play a large role in the story itself so when in the previous book we didn’t really get to see what Mark was feeling, we were able to witness it in this book. It enables some questions to be answered relating to Mark and where Cadence stands in his life. I think it was really clever of the author to narrate this story in third person. Because as much as I enjoyed the narration from cadence’s witty mind in the previous book, I believe if it was her telling the story again, I would have ended up resenting the story and I’m so glad I got to avoid that happening.

There is however something in this book that didn’t really sit well with me. I know many people would probably like to disagree with my opinion when I say I didn’t understand why Cadence wouldn’t like to give her parents a chance. I know they did her wrong and they were blind to see that she was happy with the man that she’s with, but they’re still her parent’s right? In their defence, parents always do what they think is right for their child, even if they do end up doing wrong in their eyes they were trying to do what was best. And I reckon she should have gone to them and discussed it with them instead of just allowing the awkwardness and the distances to brew because at the end of the day, they did bring her up and that’s a relationship everyone would want to repair. And seeing as though this book mentioned God in various places and as Cadence was a believer, wouldn’t a follower of God want to be on good terms with the people who brought her up in order to restore that relationship with God? I just honestly never understand people who simply remove their own blood relations from their lives like it’s nothing. Yes I am a girl with faith so excuse my ranting related to religious prospects.

I particularly adored the fact that Mark knew exactly how to play the role as the perfect man. He knew when to give Cadence some space, how to deal with her reckless behaviour, how it’s not really her that’s acting out. He calmly put up with everything which was surreal to witness. I mean who really does that though? Eventually you’re bound to get sick of the constant self-destructive behaviour as it ends up changing a person. And then it’s not the same person he fell for. But I don’t know. I guess you just have to read to find out whether or not he’s successful in aiding her whenever she may need him the most.

Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book. It provided a nice follow-up from the previous daze I was left with after reading the first part. I got to witness the characters develop further, see their lives from a different angle than previously and I got to learn a few things along the way too. This book does that. It contains some very thought provoking messages that make you stop for a few seconds and ponder about what you just read. So of course, I do recommend this. And I recommend that you read the first part before picking this one up. I can’t just end with a single quote for this one so I’ve picked out a few that meant something to me.

“If life was perfect, and evil didn’t exist, and everyone was happy all the time, what would be the point of faith?”

“Nostalgia. A yearning for something old. Past memories that were everyday and ordinary while they were happening, but grew to something special and sorely missed as the years passed by. She could see it in their faces as they whizzed past her. A longing for yesterday because, in hindsight, it was so much better than the present.”

“I think maybe God chose the man to lead to give us a break. Because we do so much. If the husband leads, the wife can take a breather. If the husband leads, he’s held accountable. And I don’t know about you, but I liked the idea of my husband being the one who answered to God in our marriage. Since, you know, that’s a pretty heavy thing.”